The Habsburg Monarchy in Conflict with the Ottoman Empire, 1527–1593: A Clash of Civilizations

Abstract

From 1527 until 1606, there was nearly constant fighting on the long frontier in Hungary and Croatia that divided the Ottoman Empire from the Habsburg monarchy. The conflict began when Sultan Suleiman the Lawgiver invaded Hungary in 1526 and defeated King Louis II Jagellio, who died trying to escape. Thereafter, Hungary was claimed by Suleiman, by Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, and by the vojvod of Transylvania, Janós Szapolyai. Apart from the “Long” Turkish War of 1593–1606, major invasions from either side were infrequent. The Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire also agreed to several multiyear treaties of peace, starting in 1547. When a treaty had elapsed, both powers usually accepted truces in the interim. Yet the 1547 Treaty of Edirne reflected the priorities of distant capitals. Emperor Charles V had to have calm in Hungary in order to pursue his plans against the Protestant Schmalkaldic League in Germany; Suleiman needed quiet in the west, so as to march east against Shi'ite Iran, the Ottoman Empire's main enemy. But neither Charles nor Suleiman required more than a semblance of peace in Hungary. Hence, Ferdinand, like his new adversary, the paşa or governor-general of Buda, had to deal with border garrisons eager for booty and angry subjects demanding retaliation. The counterpart of imperial peace was Kleinkrieg in Hungary and Croatia.

Text and Picture in Habsburg Diplomacy at the Sublime Porte (16th – 18th centuries)

“…Furthermore, trans-cultural overlap zones developed, in which cultural exchange processes took place; Christian and Muslim worlds were intertwined [12,17,33]. Therefore it is problematic to interpret these relations as an early "clash of civilizations" between two clearly differentiated and static cultural spaces, a "Western" and an "Islamic" one, as some historians still do [39]. However, as a matter of fact, the contrasts should not be underestimated as for the Habsburgs they were more fundamental than towards the European powers, such as to the arch-rival France.…”